Anthony Davis has been leading the Los Angeles Lakers brilliantly since the last season. They were in no position to make the postseason when LeBron James got injured. The King was out for almost a month with a tendon injury on his right foot. It was from that stage when AD took on the leadership role. He was brilliant in helping the side turn things around miraculously. Rob Pelinka and his front office wanted to keep the core together.
That’s why they extended the contracts of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt. But when the eight-time All-Star became eligible for a contract extension, Pelinka and the front office wasted no time to extend it for another three years. It was on August 4 that AD became eligible, and the Lakers opened his deal for a mammoth $186 million three-year extension. Moreover, Anthony Davis was happy to accept the extension. But the Lakers GM asked AD for his commitment to the team.
Rob Pelinka Wanted Anthony Davis To Commit To The Team Like They’re Committing To Him
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha shared with the fans what the Laker’s front office asked Anthony Davis to do before completing the process of the contract extension. According to Buha, Rob Pelinka told Davis to commit to the franchise as it is willing to commit to him. Moreover, the Lakers GM praised AD for his character. Pelinka asked Anthony Davis to play the role of the leader and be the hardest worker in the team. Moreover, the Lakers GM is happy to see AD working as hard as he can to be the person they wanted him to be. Rob Pelinka believes Anthony Davis has worked harder this offseason than he has ever done before as a Laker. Moreover, AD has taken the mantle of the team leader.
Hence, Rob Pelinka believes the eight-time All-Star is willing to return the favor after what the Lakers invested in him this summer. That’s the kind of character AD is, as per Pelinka. Moreover, the Lakers owner, Jeanie Buss, argued that Anthony Davis proved to be the best player in the league in the previous season. Indeed, it can be a good argument. The eight-time All-Star had an average of 25.9 points per contest. Adding to that, he averaged 2.6 assists and 12.5 rebounds per contest last season. But the only problem with AD’s game is his lack of game time. He is very injury-prone, and he played only 56 games last season. In the last three seasons, AD failed to play more than 60 games, and it affected his consistency as well.
Lakers Turned Things Around Last Season And Surprised Every NBA Fan
In the 2022-23 season, the Lakers made the postseason, surprising everybody. But more importantly, they defeated the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies and the then-defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the first and second rounds, respectively. Anthony Davis was the spearhead of the attack as well as the anchor of the Laker’s defense.
Moreover, AD led the team to be the strongest defense last season. However, the strongest attack, the Denver Nuggets, blew the Lakers away in the Western Conference Finals. It was a tough loss to swallow, but the front office has faith in Anthony Davis and the roster to deliver next season.
